180LA and Mitsubishi Break the Stereotype of Car Enthusiasts for IWD 2017

For International Women’s Day, Mitsubishi and 180LA set out to celebrate and inspire female drivers who are finding their own lane.

The vast majority of car enthusiasts are male, including those fans active on Mitsubishi’s social channels. The company set out to break that stereotype and confirmed this bias by posting a modded Mitsubishi Outlander Sport on its Facebook and Instagram channels. 

From the comments, it was clear that people thought the car belonged to a male enthusiast. One week later, on International Women’s Day, Mitsubishi surprised its social audiences with a video revealing that the owner is a woman.

"The video proves that car enthusiasts aren’t strictly men, and passionate Mitsubishi owners aren’t either," says Francine Harsini, senior director, marketing, Mitsubishi Motors North America. “This is a first for us but not the last. International Women's Day has developed into a global celebration of gender equality and female empowerment and Mitsubishi wants to keep inspiring females to find their own lane.” 

Harsini says the the company interacts with a lot of women automotive journalists and bloggers on a day-to-day basis and "it’s refreshing to hear and read what they have to say. Many of them are enthusiasts and racers, too. The video proved that no matter your gender, passion will always be passion.”

Tiff Tsai, a junior art director at 180LA, came up with the idea along with Hanna Koh, a junior copywriter. 

“In 2017 we still live in a world where everyone is easily stereotyped,” says Tsai. “Since our generation lives and breathes through social media, I believe we can really make a difference using this platform to make our voice heard.”